Can't You See I Love Her? Is That not Enough?
by gracegranter
Summary: After Hogwarts, Draco recounts his tales of Hogwarts to a lonely man in the bar. He recalls his love that he could never had. Throughout the story you WILL cry. You will be warned, you may never look at the series the same way again.
1. Introduction

Look at her. Yes, her. The one standing there looking so lovely. Not many come here anymore after the war. But she's here, she always has been, and always will. The Leaky Caldron, from 9pm to midnight. Now don't just expect me to tell you the whole story with a bribe of one butter beer, I am going to need something a little stronger to recall the pain and pleasure of the past. Ah, that's a little better, a little whiskey, thank you. You see? We're both twenty now, three years after graduation. She works at the ministry, and I a professor. You didn't peg for that sort of man, did you? Alright, ready for the story to begin? Ok, let me tell you of the first moment I laid eyes on her. The first moment I fell in love with Hermione Granger.


	2. Chapter One

The day I got my letter to Hogwarts, I could hardly contain my excitement. "Mum, Dad! I got my letter!" I said running down the cold stone stairs of the Malfoy mansion. My voice echoed through the empty halls, my heart sank. My parents were gone, again. One of our house elves, Dobby was busy sweeping out the room I was never allowed to see. "Dobby, where is everyone?"

Dobby spoke in is annoying little voice, that filthy elf. "Master Draco, they went out last night and never returned. I believe it was on _business._" He whispered the last part. Even in the houses of the Death Eaters even _his_ name, our lord's name could never be said aloud. "Where's my breakfast, Dobby?" I sneered, "Have you made it yet?" "No, sire. I will get to it right away." As he scampered to the kitchen I could hear him muttering to himself. _Oh, Dobby how could you be so stupid forgetting master's breakfast. Now where is that rolling pin? Oh, there it is. _He started to beat himself with it. I went to the kitchen for the second time I had ever lived here. Why should a Malfoy have to cook for himself? I grabbed the rolling pin. "Here, let me help you with that." I began to kick and hit him with the heavy piece of wood. Bruises and cuts appeared all over his body, like I cared. He was below me. I don't care for trash like that. I hated them all. Mudbloods, elves, non-Slytherins. (I had not yet met Hermione Granger at this point) I heard shoes clicking on the hard floor, and I turned around. There stood my mother and father with grim looks on their faces. "What is it mother, father?"

"Draco, why don't you go upstairs for a bit, and leave us to talk about some matters alone", Narcissa said coldly.

"Mother, I just got my letter for Hogwarts, I can handle this".

"No, you can't", Lucius said, "The letter means nothing to me, now go upstairs before I make you". He pulled out wand and pointed it straight at Draco. So, I went upstairs before my father could practice his hexes on me, like he usually did. I laid down on my bed and looked around my room. Green, with slver accents all around. I knew I could never face my parent, but I secretly wanted to be a Gryiffindor. They were so brave, they could go anywhere in life. Slytherins were expected to be Death Eaters or use their power for evil. I stayed up there for a bit before creeping back downstairs. My parents were in the secret room I was never allowed to see. They must have been really worried about the subject that was to be discussed because they had forgotten to put a silencing charm on the door. I was able to make out small snippets of their conversation.

"He can't know…boy who lived…letter…don't fret…but the prophecy said…I know what it said….Professor Quirrell…the _stone_". "Lucius, I believe we have a visitor". I was about to turn around and run when the door opened in my face and I was brought inside the room I would never forget.

"Stupid boy, didn't I tell you to stay upstairs? Well now you're here we might as well tell you". I looked around the room. Round, with a silver carpet on the floor. The ceilings were incredibly high, with a silver snake running off of it and dropping down to mid-height of the room. I followed its gaze to a blue bowl suspended in mid-air with a glass ball hanging two inches off that. (I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but what have I got to lose?). As I approached the ball, I was abruptly pushed away by my father, breaking my line of vision as I fell to the floor.

"Dad, what is this place?"

"This my son, has been in the family for generations. This is the Great One. The best prophecy in the world ask it anything and it will reply".

"So, what were you talking about before, the boy who lived, isn't that Harry Potter, the sad little boy?"

"Yes, Draco, he has just left a little island with Hagrid, the gamekeeper for his trip to Diagon Alley".

"But father, does that mean-".

"Yes," Lucius said grimly, "Harry Potter is going to Hogwarts".

Chapter 2 coming soon!


	3. Chapter Two

The train rattled waking me up from my dream. Crabbe and Goyle, sons of my father's "friends" were in the middle of a deep conversation about what to purchase from the candy cart. "For Merlin's sake", I mumbled as I got to my feet, "six chocolate frogs and three boxes of Bertie Bott's". They began to protest "but Draco, _we _don't like Bertie Bott's, only you do".

"Oh, shut up you blithering fools, you'll do what I say or my father will hear about this". They bowed their heads. I was about to shut the door when a toad came, running, (is that what you would call it?) and a girl, a first year no doubt came sprinting after it. Her hair was bushy and caramel colored and her cheeks were flushed. She knocked over the entire cart of candy, all the while, the toad got away. I felt so bad, that yes, a _Malfoy_, went to go help her pick it up. As I bent down, we made eye contact. Her eyes were beautiful, they sparkled like a night sky. She was nervous, I could tell. "H-hi, I'm Hermione Granger".

"Draco, Draco Malfoy". I said taking her hand. As we got up, we both knocked our heads on the cart. We both started to laugh and fell to the floor. "Say, Hermoine, who are your parents? I'm not familiar with the last name Granger".

"Oh, I'm muggle-born".

A muggle-born? How disgusting! "I'm sorry, I have a reputation to uphold. I can't be seen talking to you. Filthy mudblood". I mumbled the last part. She didn't hear it anyway. Her eyes had filled with tears and she began to walk away.

"Train arriving in 20 minutes!" the conductor called out. But I wasn't paying attention. I was staring at her in disbelief. Had I just hurt that girl, Hermione? All that occupied my mind was how I had just managed to become my father, praying on the weak and vulnerable. Maybe I did belong in Slytherin. _Blithering fool, _I thought to myself, _wait until father hears about this. _When I stepped back into the compartment, I could immediately tell something was up. Crabbe and Goyle had these smug looks on their faces. "What?" I responded, "What is wrong with you two?" They didn't reply. Instead, they took a chocolate frog card out of one of their pockets. I groaned in disbelief as I looked at the card and slipped it into my pocket because I couldn't stand it anymore. However, Crabbe had different ideas. He reached into my pocket and was about to take the card out when the train jolted to a stop and the card fell to the floor forgotten. We had arrived at the Hogwarts platform. There was a moment of complete silence and then the train erupted into cheers and laughter. It was hard to get off the train. Everyone was pushing and shoving all filled to the brim with excitement. There was one group that was paled in the face and completely flustered. They were the first years. We all gathered at the dock to get into the magical boats that would take us to Hogwarts. I was about to get into the first boat, but Hermione got there first. No way I was going in the same boat as her, I was to embarrassed about before. So, like always, Crabbe, Goyle, and I ended up in the same boat. We glided over the black waters staring up at the magnificent castle above us. Windows glowed from every angle, reflecting on the lake. I however, wasn't paying attention. My blood was still running cold from seeing my own father, now on the card left on the floor of the Hogwarts Express. His words still ribboning through my mind. _The day I am on a chocolate frog card is the day you make me proud. It is the day you get sorted into Slytherin. _I never thought my father would tell me the truth, and this time, I was very afraid he was right.


	4. Chapter Three

**Hey everyone! I'm so sorry it's been so long since I updated, it's a long story that involves a lot of school-related stuff I really don't want to get into. Anyway, my new years resolution is to post at least one new chapter a week (you can see how that's going). Thank you so much for following/ liking my story. Also, I'm going to write another fanfic soon, but I don't know what I want to write yet. What do you want me to write about? A) Merlin; B) The Vampire Diaries; or C) Supernatural. TELL ME! :p Please, please, PLEASE review. It helps so much. Okay, time to get back to the story!**

As we entered the castle, everyone was amazed. It had a warm and cheery aura to it. Laughter and talking between friends echoed off the walls, but slowly dissipated as the older students entered the Great Hall. Us first years fell completely silent as a woman told us to wait, as we would be escorted inside shortly for the sorting ceremony. Her words drifted right over my head as I laid my eyes on a certain raven-haired boy. It couldn't possibly be him, could it? Yea I was a Malfoy, I could beat anybody in a duel, but he was bloody HARRY POTTER. He survived the killing curse from the most powerful wizard known today, Lord Volde-. "Trevor!" some kid shouted out as he chased after his toad earning a disapproving glare from McGonagall, the woman from before, as she turned and left us alone on the staircase.

All the first years were now about to be sorted. I could see the hat that I dreaded putting on sitting on the stool I dreaded approaching over the sea of heads. One by one, my classmates got sorted—then it was my turn. I walked up heart pounding and palms sweating. _One step after another, Draco that's how you do it. Oh god, here we go. _I sat down and as the hat touched down on my head it shouted SLYTHERIN! My heart skipped a beat and my stomach went cold, this was it. The next seven years of my life would be filled living in the dungeons surrounded by green and silver. All I wanted to do at that moment was to run out of that school and never return, but I didn't. I forced a smile, like I learned how to do all those years ago when my father approached me and explained what I would be expected to do with my magic. Dumbledore made his mandatory speech, but I wasn't listening. I looked over to the table I desperately wanted to join. The warm smiles, colors, and her. The girl, Hermione from the train, her eyes sparkled her laughter echoing through the ha-. Seriously? This day just keeps getting worse. She was talking to Potter and the Weasley boy. I knew I was going to hate it here.

Dumbledore finally finished his bore of a speech and we began to file out. I caught sight of Hermione, hoping our houses were in the same direction. No such luck. But, instead I ran after her and caught her arm; she was clearly annoyed.

"Draco", she hissed, "what in Merlin's name do you think you're doing? First you offend me on the train and don't even try to apologize and now this."

"Hermione", I barely managed out, "I just wanted to apologize for earlier. I really didn't mean to offend you, it was just force of habit. Trust me, I won't do it again. Maybe we could try being friends?"

Her look softened and I could tell she was thinking hard. "Sure", she said, "meet me in the library at midnight we can talk then". She skipped off to the rest of the Gryffindors and I made my way slowly back to the Slytherins, to where we would be led to the dungeons. If I said I wasn't counting the moments to midnight, I would be lying. That is, however, what Slytherins do best.


	5. Chapter Four

**So I just wanted to make a shout out to everyone who is following me and reviewing. So, THANK YOU! Ok, back to the story.**

(BACK IN THE BAR…)

The bar had started to fill up with men and women who needed some alcohol…STAT. From dreary business men who had failed to make the "deal of the millennium" to doctors who had lost a patient. The bar was a terrible place to be after 9:00. Unless, of course, you happen to be in the heart of London where the bar was empty until midnight. However, I wasn't in the heart of London, I was in a little local bar where people drank until there was no hope left. But, tonight it was okay, I could take the depressing atmosphere. Because she was there, my ray of sunshine. Hermione Granger.

(BACK IN HOGWARTS…)

It was almost time. I slipped on my black cloak and slipped out of the porthole and started my descent up from the dungeons. The castle was eerily quiet at night, so much you could hear a quill drop-yes I am well aware they are made of feathers- that's how quiet it was. Until I heard that hiss. I turned around slowly, heart pounding, praying to Merlin that it wasn't Mrs. Norris. My luck today had gone from bad to worse, she was not only there, but I could see Filch's shadow rounding the corner. I made a run for it, well more like a sprint. I made it to the library, out of breath.


End file.
